A Merry Christmas
by Peachy-Author
Summary: The "Present Meets Future" edition of "T.U.F.F. Christmas", where Max and Annabeth celebrate their first Christmas with Dudley and Kitty's family. Chapter story! COMPLETE!
1. Up Go The Lights

(A/N: Okay, I figured that the "Present Meets Future" Christmas fic deserved a rewrite as well. I'm going to get started so you don't have to wait!)

It was the day after Thanksgiving in the city of Petropolis. Everyone except for the bad guys were looking forward to Christmas, and a visit from Santa Claus. Now today is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, but I'm pretty sure Dudley and Kitty aren't going to be out in that mayhem. Let's head on over to their place and find out what they're up to!

Dudley, Kitty, and their kids had just finished washing the dishes from breakfast.

"So, what are we going to do today, Mom?" Annabeth asked Kitty.

"Today is the day we usually put up the Christmas lights." Kitty replied.

"Is it an all-day activity?" Max asked.

"No, not really." said Dudley as he motioned for everyone to follow him upstairs.

"Where does he set up the lights?" asked Annabeth.

"Around the garage, the living room windows and front door, and the bedroom windows." George said.

"It's nice that he does our windows. We get to fall asleep watching the lights blink on and off." Molly said.

"That's a good way to fall asleep." Summer said.

"I think I'm gonna like that." Annabeth said.

"Me too." said Max.

"Well, you enjoyed Thanksgiving, didn't you?" Dudley asked.

"How could I not? It's the first time I've been able to celebrate that holiday with two parents! I'm really thankful for that." Max said.

"You had only one parent? Which one?" Molly asked.

"My mom. My dad was never around. He's also part of the reason why I became an orphan." Max said.

"What happened to him, and what did he do?" Summer asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Max said.

"Fair enough." George said.

"You know my story, but this was the first time I was able to enjoy a feast that didn't consist of only one thing: gruel!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"Christmas is going to bring another feast just like the one we had the other day." Kitty smiled.

"Yeah, but you get to open presents the morning of the feast." Dudley said as he opened the attic door.

"I already knew about that!" Max smiled.

"This'll be the first time I'll really experience it! I don't know if I did before I wound up in that dump, but at least I'm old enough to remember that this is going to be a Christmas I won't want to forget." Annabeth said.

"Christmas is usually like that here. So long as you live here, every Christmas is going to be unforgettable." George assured her as he handed her a box of Christmas lights.

"He's right, you know. Mom and Dad make sure that we have a merry Christmas every year." Molly said to Max.

"And that's what I want." Max said.

"Good. Now let's take these lights downstairs and test them." Dudley said, seeing that they had the boxes of lights, and the box containing extension cords and the timer.

Once they were downstairs, Dudley plugged the lights into a free outlet in the kitchen. The lights all came on, but some sets had one or a few out.

"So, what do we do about the set that has about 4 lights out?" Annabeth asked.

"4 lights out won't ruin the set. This set is still good. If a color or about half of the lights were out, we'd get rid of the set and buy a new one." Dudley told her.

"I see." Max said.

"Let's go put 'em up!" Kitty said.

Dudley decided to set up the lights around the garage first. He grabbed a staple-gun first so the lights would stay there until he took them down. The girls helped him by holding the lights in place for him.

Kitty handled the lights around the living room windows and front door. The boys helped her get those set up.

By the time Dudley finished putting up the lights around the garage, he asked Summer to put the staple-gun back while he went to help Kitty and the boys.

After the lights were set up around the living room windows and front door, it was time to do the upstairs windows.

Dudley went back to the garage and got out the ladder. He carried it to where he would be able to put up the lights outside an upstairs window.

"Okay, I need you guys to hold that ladder steady while I do this." Dudley said as he climbed up the ladder.

Kitty and the kids held the ladder steady so Dudley wouldn't fall as he put the lights around the window. It was the same with the other bedroom windows.

"Now to connect the lights to each other, and a timer, and we'll set that timer." Dudley said.

"How long are those lights gonna stay on?" Max asked.

"They'll come on at 6:00 and they'll turn off at 11:00." Kitty said.

"Sounds good." Annabeth said.

After Dudley joined the lights with the extension cords, he plugged them into a timer, which he set so that the lights would be on from 6:00 until 11:00 every night.

"Now that we've got the lights up, what can we do next? There's still a lot of time left in the day." Summer pointed out.

What can they do next? You're going to have to stay tuned if you wanna find out the answer to that question!


	2. Putting Up The Tree

(A/N: And we're back to the story! Let's see what happens next, since the family got the lights set up and ready.)

"Since we're not really that tired, who wants to put up the Christmas tree?" Kitty asked.

"I do! I do!" the triplets said with much enthusiasm.

"Okay, let's go back up to the attic and get the tree and the stuff for it!" Dudley said.

"Yaaaaaaaay!" the kids cheered.

"Don't you think we should put the boxes for the lights up there first?" Kitty asked.

"Oh, right." the kids said. So they picked up the boxes and carried them to the attic.

After getting the light boxes set in their proper places, Dudley and Kitty lifted the box for the tree, and the kids took the boxes containing the tree lights, garland, and ornaments.

"So you guys have an artificial tree?" Max asked.

"It's a lot cheaper than saving for a new tree every year." George said.

"I guess you're right." Max said.

"At the orphanage, we'd have a real tree every year, but the trees were never good." Annabeth said.

"I didn't know that an orphanage would put up a tree. What did the trees look like?" Molly asked.

"They were always the same. They were small, and scrawny, with a few branches and hardly any needles, and if you put one ornament on the tree, it'd fall over on its side." Annabeth explained.

"Like a Charlie Brown tree?" Summer asked.

"I don't know. I never saw what a Charlie Brown tree looks like." Annabeth said.

"We have the "Peanuts" Christmas special. We'll watch it sometime so you can see what a Charlie Brown tree looks like, okay?" George said.

"Sounds like a plan." Annabeth smiled.

At that moment, the family made it to the living room, and Dudley and Kitty quickly set up the tree stand.

"Alright, kids. Look for the branches that have blue on their handles." Dudley said.

Those were all on top, and the kids found them easily. The branches were handed to Dudley and Kitty, who put them into place.

"Okay, now we need the ones that have green on their handles." Kitty said, and the kids reached for those.

This went on until every branch was put into place.

"Now to put the top of the tree on." Dudley said as he picked it up out of the box, and with Kitty's help, he got it in place.

"Okay, we've got the tree set up. Now let's check the tree lights." Kitty said.

"Yeah, we'd better make sure the lights work." Max said.

They plugged the tree lights into the nearby outlet, and they came on.

"Yes!" the kids cheered.

So they strung the lights on the tree, but that took some time, since you want to get the lights even with no big gaps between branches.

"Time for the garland." Dudley said.

The garland went on, but just like the lights, it took some time. And they needed to use two ropes of garland.

"Now for the easy part. The ornaments." Summer said.

They opened the boxes that contained the ornaments and started hanging them on the tree. There were a lot of ornaments.

"I should've checked to see if the store had candy canes last time I went there." Kitty said.

"We could check tomorrow. I really don't want to be out shopping on Black Friday." Dudley said.

"Good thing, too. Candy canes aren't the only things we need." Molly said.

"They aren't?" Kitty asked.

"Max and Annabeth need Christmas stockings." George pointed out.

"Oh, that's right." Kitty said, remembering that this was Max and Annabeth's first Christmas with them, and they had no Christmas stockings of their own.

"Okay, then. They can come with us and pick out Christmas stockings tomorrow." Dudley said.

"Great!" said Max.

After a while, the tree was decorated enough.

"So we're done?" Kitty asked.

"No, the angel has to go on." Dudley said, taking the angel out of its box. Then he asked, "Okay, who wants to put the angel on top?"

"How about Annabeth?" suggested George.

"Max, don't you want to?" Molly asked.

"Mom let me do that a lot when I was a kid. I don't think Annabeth ever got to." Max said.

"Okay. Annabeth, how would you like to put the angel on top of the tree?" Dudley asked.

"I'd love to!" Annabeth said.

"Here." Dudley said, handing her the angel. Then he lifted her up in his strong arms, and she put the angel on top of the tree.

"How's that?" she asked as Dudley set her down.

"It looks good." Kitty said with a smile.

"Should we get the Christmas movies now?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, let's do that." Dudley said.

So everyone picked up the boxes they brought down and put them back in the attic before hunting for the plastic chest that held the Christmas movies. They brought the chest downstairs and set it in the den.

"Wow, you guys sure have a lot of Christmas movies!" Max said when he opened the chest and had a look inside.

"And we're smug about it!" Molly said.

"What?" asked Annabeth.

"What Molly just said is something Amanda says sometimes. We kinda learned it from her." George replied as he and his sisters started going through the movies.

"What are you looking for?" Kitty asked.

"This!" Summer said, holding up the DVD of the "Peanuts" holiday specials.

"Oh yeah! You said that the Christmas special has a Charlie Brown tree, and you'd let me see what one looks like." Annabeth said.

"But it didn't look like a very good tree." Dudley said.

"They said that the real tree we got at the orphanage every year must've looked like a Charlie Brown tree, and I wanna see if they were right." Annabeth said.

"Okay. Let's watch!" said Kitty.

So they put the DVD in and chose to watch the "Peanuts" Christmas special. They all enjoyed it, and when Annabeth saw the tree, she said, "Yep, that's what we had at the orphanage each year."

"Wait until you see what it does." George said.

She watched as an ornament was placed on the tree, and the poor tree fell over on its side.

"That's exactly what we had." Annabeth said.

"Much lavish." Dudley said sarcastically, making the kids giggle a bit. Even Kitty gave her husband a somewhat amused smile.

But then Charlie Brown's friends came and fixed it up.

"Why didn't we ever think of doing what they did?" Annabeth asked when she saw how much nicer the tree looked after the others showed up.

"Maybe because the old bag wouldn't have allowed it?" Max guessed.

"(sigh) Yeah, that's probably why..." Annabeth said.

And so ends Chapter 2. We're still a long ways from done, so you have to stay tuned if you wish to read on!


	3. Learning Christmas Songs

(A/N: Now it's time for Chapter 3. I'm going to get this chapter going so you won't have to be kept in suspense for too long.)

It was Monday in the city of Petropolis, and December was right around the corner. The kids were all back in school again, but right now, their first day back is over, and George, Molly, Summer, Max, and Annabeth have been picked up by Dudley and Kitty, and are on their way home.

"So, how was your day?" Dudley asked.

"Our chorus class is going to have a Christmas concert the week before Christmas break! We started practicing today!" Summer exclaimed.

"Really? That's good!" Kitty said.

"It sure is! I'm actually starting to learn Christmas songs!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"Wait a minute! You don't know any Christmas songs?!" Dudley asked, shocked.

"No." Annabeth replied.

"That's rich. The old bag lets you have a real Christmas tree in the orphanage, but she doesn't let you learn any Christmas songs?" Summer asked.

"That's not rich, that's stupid." Kitty said, knowing that they still didn't know everything Annabeth had gone through in that orphanage. Every time they learned something, Kitty wanted to drive to that orphanage and beat up the old bag. She couldn't do it, but she knew that if the chance arose, she wouldn't dare pass it up.

"Well, some of the older kids who knew about Christmas tried to teach me some Christmas songs, but they could only do it when the old bag wasn't paying attention, which was rarely." Annabeth said.

"You didn't learn any, did you?" Kitty asked.

"Not a single one." Annabeth sighed.

"You heard some in the "Peanuts" special we watched, and in some of the Christmas movies we watched over the break, and it's high time you learn more." Dudley told her, turning on the car's CD player. There was a Christmas CD in it already.

"Well, that's one way to learn Christmas songs." George said.

"Yeah, by listening to this CD." Max grinned.

Annabeth was listening to the songs while everyone else sang along very quietly. She was determined to learn more Christmas songs than she'd learn in school. It kind of upset her when they reached home, but Dudley didn't stop the music until the current song was over.

"It's okay, Annabeth. We know an easy Christmas song to teach you that we do every Christmas Eve." Molly said.

"What's it called?" Annabeth asked.

"It's called 'Santa's Comin' Tonight'. It's the easiest song you'll ever learn." George explained.

"Please! Teach me the song!" Annabeth begged.

She soon learned that it was easier than she'd hoped, because it consisted of the words the song was called.

"Okay, you were right! This is the easiest song I've ever learned!" Annabeth said, happy to know that she'd learned a Christmas song.

"But you still have others to learn, not just the ones we're going to sing at school." Summer told her.

"I'm good with that." Annabeth replied.

After dinner, Kitty decided to help Annabeth learn more songs. She pulled out her keyboard.

"I thought Dudley hated your piano-playing." Annabeth said, referring to when Dudley didn't want to go to Kitty's piano recital during their adventure in the past. (A/N: The episode I'm referring to is "Cod Squad".)

"He did, until he heard me teach myself Nintendo songs by accident. You should've seen the look on his face when he heard the first one. He had me teach him the notes so he could teach me songs I didn't know, and he never complained again." Kitty said, smiling as she remembered that moment.

"You can play Nintendo songs on that thing?! Which ones?! I wanna hear you do that sometime!" Max said.

"Wow! So now you never would have guessed that he didn't like hearing you play piano." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, that just seems like a bad memory from another life." Dudley said.

"However, we're not going to think about that anymore." Kitty said.

"Good. I don't like thinking about that." Dudley said.

"I know. Right now, I'm going to teach Annabeth some more Christmas songs." Kitty replied.

"Okay, which ones?" Dudley asked.

"Whichever ones I know and can play." Kitty said.

"Are you going to teach her 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'?" Dudley asked.

"We'll see." Kitty said.

"That one is going to be long and difficult, isn't it?" Annabeth asked.

"It's actually easy and difficult at the same time." George said.

"We'll teach Annabeth that one after she learns some of the easy songs." Kitty said.

All that week Annabeth learned the songs during and after school. They even watched Christmas sing-alongs to help her study. The words appearing on the screen helped out a lot, too.

"You're catching on, Annabeth." George said one night after they watched a sing-along.

"And I'm proud of it." Annabeth smiled.

"I'm just glad we aren't learning "Carol of the Bells". That one's not easy." Molly said.

"It's hard?" Annabeth asked.

"And fast. Listen." Summer said, grabbing a CD with the song on it and putting it on the stereo.

"How does anyone sing that one without messing up the words?!" Annabeth asked, knowing that she'd go crazy trying to learn that particular song.

"My mom could do it. When I heard her sing it, I asked her just how she was able to sing that one without messing up. She said that she had to learn it for a Christmas concert her chorus class would be doing when she was in high school. It wasn't easy for her when she was learning, but practice made perfect." Max replied.

"She's right, you know." Kitty said.

"I know." Max said.

Sorry this chapter wasn't really much, but I hope to make up for that in the following chapters, so stay tuned!


	4. Shopping Day

(A/N: Okay, so now that we've made it to Chapter 4, let's get this show on the road and find out what the family is up to.)

It was the morning of the second Saturday of December. Dudley and Kitty were in their room, getting dressed for the day.

"You know what today is, right, Kitty?" Dudley asked.

"The second Saturday of the month. The day we go to the mall and do the major Christmas shopping." Kitty replied.

"This is the first time Max and Annabeth are gonna experience it." Dudley reminded her.

"I think they'll enjoy it as much as George, Molly, and Summer do." Kitty said.

"Have the kids finished making their lists yet?" Dudley asked.

"They handed me the lists Thursday night. All 5 are in my purse. When you start shopping, I'll hand you the lists of the kids you aren't shopping for." Kitty said.

"What about when we switch kids?" Dudley asked.

"If the kids are still hungry after lunch, we could send them to go get themselves ice cream or something. That way, we can swap lists, and they won't notice." Kitty suggested.

"I love you, Kitty. You're so smart and beautiful." Dudley said, going over to Kitty and pulling her into a hug.

Kitty giggled as she returned the hug and replied, "And I love you, too, Dudley. I'm so lucky to have you."

"No, I'm the lucky one." Dudley said. Then he and Kitty shared a kiss before getting back to the task at hand.

After making their bed, Dudley and Kitty peeked into the kids' rooms, but the kids weren't there. Their beds were made, though. They went downstairs, and in the dining room, there were the kids, up and dressed, and eating Pop-Tarts for breakfast.

When the kids saw their parents, they smiled and said, "Morning."

"You guys are all set?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah." said Annabeth.

"What would you guys like?" Max asked, taking his plate to the sink.

"For Christmas or breakfast?" Dudley asked.

"The latter." Molly replied.

"No, really, you guys don't have to make breakfast for us." Kitty said.

"But what if we wanted to?" George asked.

"I don't know, Kitty. It's hard to argue with that logic." Dudley said.

"Yeah, but I know that they're anxious to go." Kitty told him.

"Maybe we're giving ourselves something to do before we explode." Summer replied.

"Good point. Okay, I'd like some eggs and toast, and you know what your father wants." Kitty said as she went to the sink to wash the kids' plates.

"Bacon, and a lot of it?" Molly guessed.

"You got it!" Dudley said.

"How would you like those eggs, Mom?" George asked.

"Over-easy." Kitty replied.

"Can do." George grinned.

So the kids got out what they needed. George fixed two eggs while Summer put two pieces of bread in the toaster, and Molly fixed the bacon while Max and Annabeth got drinks for Dudley and Kitty.

When the food was ready, the kids had to find a way to keep themselves busy while Dudley and Kitty ate. George and Molly washed the pans, and their siblings dried them before putting them away.

After finishing their breakfasts (Dudley finished his in record time), Dudley and Kitty washed their plates, silverware, and glasses, dried them, and put them away.

"Okay, kids! It's time to go!" Kitty said as she and Dudley donned their winter gear.

"We're ready! Let's go!" the kids said, already in their winter gear.

"They're fast!" Dudley said to Kitty as they exited the house.

"I know." Kitty replied as she locked the door.

Once in the car, Dudley and Kitty inserted a Christmas CD in the CD player, and the family sang Christmas songs on their way to the mall.

When they reached the mall, Dudley said, "Let's decide who takes whom before we split up."

"I'll take George and Max. You don't mind taking Molly, Summer, and Annabeth, do you?" Kitty asked.

"Not at all. I love these girls!" Dudley said, drawing the girls into a hug. The girls looked up at Dudley with big, sparkling eyes as they returned the hug.

"Good. We'll meet again at lunch. Whichever of us gets to the food court first has to notify the other, and we'll eat, trade notes, and then switch kids." Kitty said.

"As usual." Dudley smiled.

"Okay, come on, boys! Let's go!" Kitty said, and she and the boys took off in one direction.

"Let's go the other way." Dudley said to the girls, and they took off in the opposite direction.

As Kitty and the boys looked for presents for Dudley and the girls, as well as their friends, Max couldn't help wondering something.

"Hey, Mom, I was wondering, what if one of us wants an ornament for Christmas? What then?" Max asked.

"We give the ornaments to whoever wants them or would like them right away. If they're given as presents, then we don't get much time to enjoy the sight of them on the tree." Kitty explained.

"Unless they're for friends. Then they can be presents, since we have our gift exchange while Mom and Dad attend the annual T.U.F.F. Christmas party." George said.

"I see. And I can understand why ornaments for immediate family members are given right away." Max said.

Meanwhile, Dudley had explained ornaments to Annabeth.

"That's understandable. If I got a new ornament, I'd like to enjoy the sight of it on the tree for a good while." Annabeth said.

"Exactly how I feel." Dudley said.

Everyone found things they wanted to give as presents (and things they hoped to receive), and while presents for members of the immediate family were carefully hidden, presents for Peg and friends were in plain sight.

Dudley and the girls made it to the food court first, and upon finding a table to sit at, Dudley pulled out his cell phone and notified Kitty. He told her where their table was.

"We were just heading over to the food court ourselves. We'll see you soon!" Kitty said as she hung up. George and Max were glad to be able to sit and relax for a bit.

After getting some food, Dudley, Kitty, and the kids talked about the things they'd seen that they wanted, and things they had gotten for friends. Family gifts were whispered about.

Lunch ended too soon, and that's when Dudley and Kitty traded kids and lists before they set off again. They still managed to get a lot of nice gifts for friends, and just like that morning, they were trying to make sure they did not bump into each other, for that can ruin Christmas surprises.

After the afternoon shopping, Kitty and the girls made it to the food court before Dudley and the boys did, and she notified Dudley with the news.

"Be right there." Dudley said when he heard.

When Dudley and the boys showed up, the family got dinner. As they ate, they whispered about things they'd picked out for everyone but the person they were talking to.

"Okay, time to go home." Dudley said as the family finished dinner.

"We're going home?" Max said.

"Good thing. I'm pretty tired." Annabeth said.

"That's usually how we're supposed to feel after a day of Christmas shopping." Molly said.

And as they got home, they carried gifts for Peg and friends into the house before getting ready for bed and falling asleep.

The next day involved fun for the kids. They got to help their parents wrap the presents that were brought in last night.

Dudley and Kitty also brought in the presents they got for each other, and got them wrapped with help from the kids. However, when it came to the kids' presents, they did those on their own.

But there should be more fun coming up, and if you wanna read about that, then you'd best stay tuned!


	5. Snaptrap's Gift

(A/N: So we've really made it all the way to Chapter 5?! I think I'll get this chapter started on the double, so nobody has to stay in suspense for long!)

It was finally the beginning of Christmas break, and it was also the day of the annual T.U.F.F. Christmas party. While Dudley and Kitty were at the party, the kids were at Snaptrap's place, having their annual gift exchange. In fact, we're going to head on over to Snaptrap's place to see how the kids are doing!

At Snaptrap's place, we find the D.O.O.M. kids were having a fine old time with their friends, George, Molly, Summer, Max, Annabeth, Jafar, Ursula, Cruella, Lisa, and Tyler (Nate and Ariel were at their maternal grandparents' mansion), listening to Christmas music and admiring the presents they'd gotten one another. They also liked the treats that Snaptrap had made for this occasion.

But Annabeth was feeling a little wary about being there, and with good reason. However, it took a while before Snappy noticed.

"Are you okay?" Snappy suddenly asked Annabeth.

"What?" Annabeth asked, turning her attention to her friend.

"You seem a little... uncomfortable here. Is something wrong?" Snappy asked.

"I'm okay. It's just..." Annabeth wasn't sure how to word the next part.

"If you're still worried about the ol' hag, she isn't here. We already explained that she doesn't know where we went after we moved out of her place." Snappy said.

"No, she's not the problem. It's... something else." Annabeth said.

"I'll bet it's our dads. It was a shock to us when we saw our dads as bad guys in the past. They told us that they used to be bad guys, but we still weren't prepared for it." said Murray.

"No, it's just... it's Snaptrap." Annabeth said.

"You never thought you'd see my dad as the caring, fatherly type, huh?" Snappy asked.

"I guess..." Annabeth said, before muttering under her breath, "Considering what he did to me."

Melody had been playing Christmas music on a guitar when she heard that, and she stopped playing and said, "What did you say?"

"How did you hear me?" Annabeth asked.

"You'd be amazed at how good her hearing is. Her delicate ear for music probably helps with that!" Stella said, grabbing another cookie from the plate on the coffee table.

"I guess you guys were going to find out sooner or later." Annabeth sighed.

"Are you sure you want to tell them?" George said.

"They deserve to know." Annabeth told him. She took a deep breath and said, "Snaptrap... is the reason I became an orphan."

Because Annabeth already told George, Molly, Summer, and Max, they weren't surprised. However, you can imagine how surprised the D.O.O.M. kids were when they heard it. Stella almost choked on her cookie. Jafar, Ursula, Cruella, Lisa, and Tyler were also shocked.

"Even our parents haven't done anything like that!" Cruella gasped.

"How did you find out?" Lisa asked.

"I dreamed about it one night." Annabeth said.

"My dad did that?! When was this?!" Snappy asked, clearly shocked.

"Mom and Dad told us that they looked over past cases, and that happened before Annabeth was a year old." George said.

Snappy figured his dad owed them an explanation, so he went to the kitchen, where he found his dad baking more Christmas cookies.

"Hi, son!" Snaptrap greeted Snappy.

"Dad, we need to talk." Snappy told his father.

"About what?" Snaptrap asked.

"Did you have any relapses after you reformed?" Snappy asked.

Snaptrap froze. Yes, he'd had only one relapse after he reformed. And even though what happened made him reform for good, he always wished he could go back in time and prevent himself from having it, but changing the past is dangerous.

He really didn't want to admit it, but he took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I did. But I hate myself for having it, and for talking the guys into joining me when I did."

"What happened?" Snappy asked.

He wished he could've forgotten about it, but he remembered it as though it had happened yesterday. He said, "We (that's me and the guys) stole this high-tech blaster from T.U.F.F., as we were going to rob this store. But we didn't realize that the blaster was a prototype (which Dudley and Kitty explained when they showed up and took it back), and it started shooting all over the place. It even shot some people and killed them, which wasn't something I wanted to do."

"You didn't mean to kill anyone?" Snappy asked.

"I didn't want that to happen. I still feel bad about that relapse." Snaptrap sighed.

"Well, I don't wanna make you feel worse, but... Annabeth's birth parents were among the casualties." Snappy said.

"Annabeth? Dudley and Kitty's adopted daughter?!" Snaptrap asked.

"Yes..." Snappy replied.

"Oh no... I didn't mean to ruin her childhood! I really owe her an apology..." Snaptrap said.

"If she'll listen, but I think I could convince her to." Snappy said.

"If she does, I hope she can forgive me. I never wanted to do that. Some father I am, taking the lives of a child's parents and landing the child in an orphanage run by someone who could be my mom's equally evil twin sister." Snaptrap said.

"Dad, you didn't know. Come with me, okay?" Snappy said, holding out his hand.

"(sigh) Okay..." Snaptrap said as he took his son's hand and followed him out to the living room, where Annabeth was being comforted by her siblings and friends.

"I don't think she's going to let me apologize." Snaptrap whispered to his son.

"It's Christmas, Dad. Maybe she will. If not now, maybe it'll be her resolution for the new year." Snappy whispered back before letting go of his dad's hand and approaching Annabeth.

"Annabeth, my dad has something he'd like to say to you. I know you probably don't wanna hear it, but it's kinda important." Snappy said.

"We'll be right here." Max assured her as George kept a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Okay..." Annabeth said.

"Tell her..." Snappy said to his dad as he slowly approached the girl.

"I know why you're wary around me, and you have every right to be, after what I did. But let me just say, I never meant to do it! I didn't want to kill anybody! Every time I think about that relapse, I wish I'd never had it. If I could go back in time and stop myself from having it, I'd do it in a second." Snaptrap explained.

Annabeth's eyes were wide. Snaptrap really felt bad for this, and it seemed that to this day he still beat himself up over it.

"I can never apologize enough for what I did, and I'll understand if you never forgive me for it, but the important thing is that you know that I never meant to do it!" Snaptrap finished.

Annabeth couldn't believe her ears! Snaptrap hadn't meant to kill her parents, or any of the people that died. Had she missed seeing his shock in that dream she'd had?

Snaptrap was clearly nervous and upset. He hated thinking back to that day, and he wasn't sure if the daughter of two of the casualties could ever forgive him.

"I forgive you." Snaptrap heard Annabeth say.

"Come again?" Snaptrap asked, wondering if he'd heard that correctly. Did Annabeth just forgive him?

"I said, I forgive you." Annabeth repeated, and she meant it, too. In the true spirit of Christmas, she forgave Snaptrap.

"Thank you. You deserved to know that I regret that relapse, and that I never wanted to kill anyone. My family would probably do that, but as my mom kept saying, I'm not like them." Snaptrap said.

"I'm glad you didn't turn out like your family, and that you didn't mean to kill my parents. Thanks for apologizing." Annabeth said.

"You're welcome." Snaptrap said before making his way back to the kitchen.

Well, that was quite a chapter, and Annabeth received a big gift: a long-overdue apology from Snaptrap, and the knowledge that he never meant to kill her folks! But guess what? We're still not done, so stay tuned!


	6. Let's See The Sights!

(A/N: And now we're working on Chapter 6! Let's get this chapter started and find out what the family is up to now.)

After the T.U.F.F. Christmas party ended, Dudley, Kitty, Keswick, and Claire drove to Snaptrap's to pick up the kids and head on home.

But when Dudley and Kitty reached home, Dudley told the kids, "We're only stopping here to drop off our presents. When all the presents are inside, get back in the car."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Because it's dark out, the night is young, and a good finish to this day would be driving around the neighborhood and checking out the houses that are all decked out." Dudley explained.

"All right!" the triplets cheered.

"I don't think Mom and I ever did that before." Max said.

"Then you guys are in for a real treat. Some blocks go all-out." Kitty said.

"Sounds like something we're gonna have to see!" Annabeth said.

"It is!" George told her.

"If it's as good as you guys say it is, then I've gotta see it!" Max said.

"You won't regret it. Promise." Molly said.

Once they'd gotten the presents put away, everyone got back in the car, and they listened to a Christmas CD as they drove around the neighborhood, looking at the houses that were decked out. They even saw the blocks that were all lit up!

"Wow! I've never seen anything like this before!" Annabeth gasped as she looked out the window in complete wonder.

"Neither have I! It makes me wonder why Mom never thought of doing this before." Max said, also amazed at the sights.

"It's pretty sad that you guys don't have these kinds of memories." Summer said.

"I wish we did. I never saw what Christmas was like until that adventure in the past, but this time, I actually get to celebrate it." Annabeth said.

"I know. Look at me with my mom. We didn't really do much for Christmas because Dad was never around. I wonder what Christmas would've been like if he'd stayed." Max said.

"Are you saying you didn't have good Christmases in the past?" Kitty asked.

"No! I mean, no. Mom always made sure that we had a merry Christmas, no matter what. I was only wishing my dad had been around, because I never got to get him a present since I wasn't allowed to know where he was, and I couldn't shop for Mom because, well... you know." Max said.

"You're not the only one who got to shop for both parents for the first time, Max. I learned how awesome that was, too." Annabeth said.

"I know. And you also got to learn Christmas songs, and you're discovering the joys that come with the holiday." Max said.

"Yeah, like when Mom and Dad fix Christmas cookies." George said.

"I'm surprised your mom actually made cookies the right way. Remember what she did when Keswick invented that mind-reading helmet?" Annabeth asked. (A/N: That happened in "Mind Trap".)

"Yeah. She used seafood as flour, but that was a stupid move." Max said.

"Mom learned how to cook better by the time she and Dad got married, so her cookies don't taste bad." Molly said.

"You also discovered the fun of hiding presents and wrapping them, but you're also learning how hard it is to keep from telling what the presents are for so long." Summer said.

"We're holding out." Annabeth said.

"I thought it'd be hard, considering you never gave or received presents before." Max said.

"Remember how long it took us to admit that we were orphans during our adventure in the past?" Annabeth reminded him. (A/N: The confession happened in Chapter 37 of "Present Meets Future".)

"Good point." Max said.

The kids continued to talk, but they would be quiet if Dudley or Kitty told them about some decked out places coming up, or if they themselves spotted one. They'd go quiet, and then they'd talk about what they had seen.

"Did you see that?!"

"That was amazing!"

"Never saw anything like it!"

"How awesome was that?!"

Those were just a few of the phrases the kids would say as they drove around the neighborhood.

After a good drive, Kitty said, "Hey, Dudley, perhaps we should have dinner."

"You're hungry?" Dudley asked.

"We didn't exactly have dinner at the party, did we?" Kitty asked.

"No, I didn't think so. Let's see what the kids have to say." Dudley said. So Kitty turned to the backseat and said, "Kids!"

"Yes, Mom?" the kids asked.

"We're going to get some dinner. You guys hungry?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah!" the kids said.

"Good. You guys want fast food, or do you want to eat at a restaurant?" Dudley asked.

"I'm fine with anything." Kitty said.

"Us, too." the kids replied.

"We'll eat at some restaurant." Dudley said.

He pulled into a restaurant they liked eating at, and that's where they ate. Because they were in such a good mood, and still a little hungry, they had dessert. After paying, the family headed home, feeling very happy and satisfied.

And we're still a ways from finished with the story! That's right, there's still more to come, so stay tuned!


	7. The Longest Day

(A/N: Okay, we've made it as far as Chapter 7! Let's get this show on the road and see what's going to happen!)

It was finally Christmas Eve in the city of Petropolis. Everyone looked forward to the annual visit from Santa Claus, but the villains that did not reform were not happy because even though Santa normally leaves coal for the people on his naughty list, he left nothing, not even coal, for the villains. However, we haven't the time to worry about them! Let's head on over to Dudley and Kitty's place and find out what's going on!

At Dudley and Kitty's house, the family had breakfast and watched Quacky's show, but they still had a lot of time left until nightfall. Dudley and Kitty were taking care of the turkey while fixing the stuffing and baking the pie.

"Only one pie?" Annabeth asked.

"No, we've still got another one, but it's one that doesn't need to be baked. All you do is put it in the fridge to thaw." Kitty explained.

"Oh yeah." Annabeth said, feeling dumb, for Kitty had done the same thing at Thanksgiving.

The kids were helping out whenever they could, but they couldn't keep away from the living room, where the tree was surrounded by presents.

"Mom, Dad, is it okay if we go look at the presents under the tree?" Max asked.

"Sure." Dudley replied.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. How do we know you're not planning on opening those presents early?" Kitty asked suspiciously.

"We're not going to. Santa would never come if we did that." Summer said.

"And you'd hear us do it." George said.

"Right. Don't get any stupid ideas." Dudley said.

"Have we gotten any before?" Molly asked.

"Well, there was that time you said you wouldn't look while we wrapped presents for you, but I tried that before and it didn't work." Dudley said.

"We really didn't think it would work, but it was worth a try." George replied.

"Then you should have known all along it wouldn't work." Kitty said.

"Hey, at least now we handle being grounded from the living room a lot easier." Summer said.

"Right. You can go out there, but you are not to touch any of those presents until tonight." Kitty said.

"We know. We're just going to look." the kids said, and they meant it.

As they walked out to the living room, Max realized what Kitty said, and he asked, "Molly, why did Mom say we couldn't touch the presents until tonight? Didn't she mean tomorrow?"

"No, she meant tonight. On Christmas Eve, we open the presents under the tree." Molly replied.

"Say what?" Annabeth asked.

"We're opening presents tonight?!" Max asked, surprised.

"Just the ones under the tree. Santa will come tonight and leave more, which we will open tomorrow, along with our stocking stuffers. Also, Grandma's coming tomorrow, and she'll have presents for us, too!" George said.

"Wow! This is going to be the best Christmas I've ever had!" Annabeth cheered.

"I can't believe we're opening presents tonight! Mom and I always waited until Christmas morning to open presents!" Max said.

"You never did it the night before?" Summer asked.

"Never!" said Max.

"Until now! For both of us!" Annabeth shouted.

"Yaaaaaaaaay!" Max and Annabeth cheered, more excited than they'd ever been in their lives.

"However, we won't be getting into those presents until the lights come on tonight. We've still got a long wait ahead of us." George reminded them.

"Oh man..." Max said, and he and Annabeth stopped celebrating.

"We've gotta think of a way to pass the time." Molly said.

"Without going completely insane?" George asked.

"George, we've done this lots of times already, and have we lost our sanity yet?" Summer asked.

"Well, no..." George started.

"Then we're gonna be okay." Summer replied.

"How about we play video games? Those should help kill time." Annabeth said.

"Good thinking. Let's go to the den!" said Molly.

The kids decided to do Christmas-themed levels of video games, but to finish it off, George, Molly, and Summer decided to play "Banjo-Kazooie" again, and play the Freezeezy Peak World, even though they'd already beaten it.

"Why are you playing this world? Didn't you already beat it back in July?" Max said.

"Yeah, but it's Christmas in this world, and what better way to get into the spirit by playing a world that celebrates it all year?" Molly asked.

"I see your point." Annabeth smiled.

It was at that moment Dudley and Kitty walked into the den and saw what game the kids were playing.

"Boy, does that take me back!" Dudley said, grinning as he recognized "Banjo-Kazooie".

"One of your favorites, right, Dudley?" Kitty asked.

"And as I recall, it became a favorite of yours when you watched me play it that one time, remember?" Dudley said.

"Yeah, I remember." Kitty smiled.

"You guys are done cooking the food?" Summer asked.

"Uh-huh. The pies are done, the stuffing is ready, and the turkey is all set for tomorrow. And we washed the dishes." Kitty said.

"You wanna play?" George asked, holding out the controller to his dad.

"I think your mother and I will play something else. You guys finish up with this one, and we'll think of something." Dudley said.

"Okay." said Molly, and the kids went right back to the game.

When the kids were done playing, they asked their parents what they wanted to play.

"I'm not even going to suggest "Rampage" this time. Your mom won't let me play it when you guys are present." Dudley said.

"It can't be that bad." Max said.

"It is." Kitty told him.

"So, what are you going to play?" Annabeth asked.

"Let's see..." Dudley said as he and Kitty looked over the games.

Before long, they decided to set up a computerized Battle Royal in "Mario Party 3", and they picked the board map called "Chilly Waters" (which had a wintery theme). They set the game for 50 turns, and after everything was set, they set Players 1 and 2 as computer characters and let the game do the rest.

The kids all rooted for different characters, but they knew that no matter who won, they mustn't complain if one character was lucky enough to win. Maybe they'd even see a come-from-behind victory. You never knew what to expect when you let the computer play.

At one point, Dudley slipped out of the room for a while. No one noticed that he was gone until he returned and handed everyone paper plates that held slices of pizza.

"We didn't even notice you were gone!" Kitty exclaimed as she took her plate.

"Being a secret agent makes a person good at stealth." Dudley said.

"True." Kitty smiled.

Eventually, the game ended, and no one complained when the winner was announced. It had been pretty close, too.

"Okay, that was actually pretty neat. It saves a lot of frustration." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, the difficult mini-games were played out like that." said Max.

"And look outside. It's dark out!" Molly said, pointing out the window.

It was dark, but the lights hadn't come on yet.

"Oh, come on! Those lights should be on!" George said.

"No, the clock says we still have at least 5 minutes left." Summer informed him.

"What are we gonna do?" George asked.

"Dad, did you wash the pizza pan and the pizza cutter?" Max asked.

"No. Why?" Dudley asked.

"'Cause we're gonna do it for you." Annabeth said as she made her way to the kitchen. Her siblings followed her, glad that they had something to keep them from going near the tree for now.

But that's where they're gonna be in the next chapter! Stay tuned for more fun!


	8. At Long Last

(A/N: At the end of the last chapter, the kids learned that they have only a few minutes left until the lights come on. Let's get this chapter going and find out what's up!)

After they got the pizza pan and cutter washed, dried, and put away, they came back to the living room to see that the lights had come on outside.

"All right!" George said.

"It's time to open presents!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"But we have to hand them out first." Summer reminded them.

"Yeah, we should do that." Max said.

So they went over to the tree and found out who got what. Even Dudley and Kitty had a good-sized pile of gifts.

"Okay, let's do this!" George said.

"Shouldn't we let Max and Annabeth go first? This is their first Christmas here." Molly remembered.

"Okay, Annabeth can go first." George said.

"No, I got to put the angel on top of the tree. Max can go first." Annabeth said.

"But you never really experienced Christmas before. I have." Max said.

"I'm in a good mood. You can go first." Annabeth said.

"If you all insist." Max said as he picked up one of his presents. He opened his present and was pleased to see that he'd gotten "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on DVD.

"Hey, I've heard that this movie is really good! Thanks!" Max said, looking happy.

"Okay, Annabeth. It's your turn." George said.

"I wonder what this is." Annabeth said. Her first present consisted of the first 4 "Gravity Falls" Cinestory Comics.

"Oh cool! I can't wait to start reading these!" Annabeth cheered, obviously really excited.

Then George, Molly, and Summer opened presents, in that order. After that, Dudley and Kitty each opened a present, in that order.

But at one point, Dudley stopped everything. He left the room for a few seconds, and when he came back, he was holding a black garbage bag.

"This is for the wrapping paper." Dudley said.

Everyone picked up the wrapping paper that they had removed from the presents that they had opened and threw it in the bag. And they did the same with the wrapping paper they removed from the rest of the presents.

When all the presents had been opened, Dudley took the bag outside and put it with the trash while the kids admired their presents, but Max and Annabeth were really happy. They got a lot of the things they'd asked for, along with presents that were off-list.

"Now what can we do? The night is still young." Dudley said.

"Let's watch my new movie!" suggested Max, holding up "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

"Are you really sure it's a Christmas movie? It looks more like something we should watch during Halloween." Summer said.

"Maybe it's a bi-holiday movie. We could watch it now and at Halloween." Molly said.

"Let's do it!" George said.

"Mom, Dad, what do you say?" Max asked.

"Go for it!" Dudley said.

"Yeah, let's watch it." Kitty said.

"All right!" Max said.

So they watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Everyone really enjoyed it, but Summer was scared by certain parts, so she sat very close to her parents. Molly and Max sat close together, and George and Annabeth were just as close.

When the movie was over, Max put it away, and he was still happy that he'd gotten it. But by now, it was pretty late.

"Maybe we should call it a night now." Dudley said when he looked at the clock.

"Okay, let's get to bed so Santa will come." Kitty said.

"Oh yeah, Santa's coming tonight!" George said.

Then the kids launched into the song "Santa's Comin' Tonight". Dudley and Kitty knew they should've seen that coming.

"Don't worry. We'll tune them out." Dudley whispered to Kitty as they walked upstairs with the kids still singing as they followed.

"I know we can." Kitty replied.

When Dudley and Kitty got ready for bed, they got under the covers and tuned the kids out by kissing and snuggling until sleep came.

The kids sang until they felt tired and went to sleep. So by the time Santa arrived, everyone in the house was asleep.

And tomorrow, they will find out that he came. That's in the next chapter, so stay tuned if you wish to read about Christmas Day!


	9. Finally Christmas

(A/N: Well, here we are at Chapter 9. Let's find out how Christmas Day is going to go for our favorite family!)

It was finally Christmas Day in the city of Petropolis. Any villains that did not reform went back to bed as soon as they got up. They didn't go back to sleep because the weather was cold; they did that because they saw no reason to get out of bed. Santa didn't visit them, so what was the point? But since we already know that he visited Dudley and Kitty's last night, why don't we head on over to their place?

At Dudley and Kitty's, everyone was still asleep. Well, it makes sense, because it was still dark, but the sun was starting to rise.

In the room George and Max shared, George awoke. He looked at the clock on the dresser and to his happiness, it was morning.

"It's finally Christmas!" he said to himself. He got out of bed, not caring that it was pretty cold in the house. He was too excited to care as he ran to the room his sisters shared and opened the door.

None of the girls woke up, which surprised him, but he figured that they must've been pretty tired. He made his way over to Annabeth's bed.

"Annabeth! Get up! Get up! Come on! Get out of bed!" George said to his adopted sister, shaking her a bit so she would wake up.

"No, let me sleep." Annabeth moaned.

"Annabeth! It's Christmas morning! You have to get up!" George told her.

"No! Tell that nasty old bat that she can wait until a decent hour to make the day miserable!" Annabeth said as she pulled the blankets over her head.

"Oh boy..." George realized that Annabeth must've been dreaming that she was back in the orphanage again, and he knew that it was a terrible place. He had to wake her up and get her out of the misery of Christmases past.

"Annabeth, it's me, George! You're at my house, and the wretched hag isn't anywhere near here! Wake up!" George said, hoping that Annabeth would finally get up.

At that, Annabeth's eyes opened, and she found that she wasn't in a cold room in a hard bed in the orphanage. She was more than relieved to find herself in the room she shared with her sisters. She was really happy to find George standing by her bed.

"Oh, thank goodness! It was just a dream! I'm not at the orphanage!" Annabeth said with a big sigh of relief.

"Dang! Nobody wants to have a dream like that on Christmas morning." George said.

"You got that right! It's no fun being an orphan on... hold the phone! Did you just say that it's Christmas morning?!" Annabeth asked as she started to process what George said.

"Yes." George grinned.

"WAKE UP, GUYS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Annabeth shouted. Then she turned to George and said, "I always wanted to say that and be happy about it!"

"I know!" George smiled.

"Christmas morning?!" Molly asked, sitting up in bed.

"All right! Let's go see what Santa brought!" Summer cheered.

"What's going on in here?!" Max asked, having been awoken by Annabeth's excitement about the holiday.

"It's Christmas!" his siblings replied.

"It is! George, why didn't you tell me when you got up?!" Max asked his brother.

"I wanted to get Annabeth up. And she needed to be woken up." George said.

"Nightmare of Christmases past?" Max guessed.

"Something like that." Annabeth replied.

"Sorry." Max said.

"You didn't cause it." Annabeth said.

"I know, but I feel bad about what you went through." Max said.

"Let's not wallow in sadness. Let's go see what Santa brought!" Summer said.

"And maybe we'll turn on the heat while we're at it?" Molly asked.

"Yes, now let's go see!" George said, and the kids clambered downstairs as fast as they could.

When they saw the tree, they couldn't believe their eyes at how many gifts were under it.

"Santa was here!" Annabeth gasped.

"That's right. You never saw the result of a visit from Santa before." Max realized.

"What do you think?" Summer asked as Molly turned on the heat.

"I'm almost speechless! I don't know what to say!" Annabeth said. She was excited.

"I know what to say." Summer said.

"What is it?" George asked.

"Let's go take our showers and get dressed for the day." Summer said.

"I thought you were going to say something about waking Mom and Dad." Max said.

"Or opening the presents." Annabeth said.

"No, Mom and Dad would never let us get into Santa presents without them." Summer said.

"We should let them sleep. They worked really hard to surprise us." Molly said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." George said.

So after the kids decided who would go first, that person first had to pick the outfit they wanted to wear that day before making their way into the bathroom to shower. The rest picked their outfits and made their beds as they waited for their turn.

When the first one got done, the next person went in while the first one made their bed.

By the time the kids were done, they were doing laundry and fixing breakfast. They decided to have French toast. That was always good. And they even made some extra for Dudley and Kitty, who had gotten up and taken their shower while the kids prepared the food.

"I thought you would've gotten us up before now." Dudley said to the kids.

"No, you guys deserved to rest." Molly said.

"And you don't have to prepare breakfast. We're taking care of that." George said as he gave Dudley and Kitty 3 slices of French toast each.

"Well then, we'll do the dishes after breakfast, okay?" Kitty said.

"Deal!" Annabeth happily said.

When the kids finished breakfast, they had to find something to do while they waited to get at the presents from Santa and the stocking stuffers.

"What about Grandma?" Max asked.

"Don't we have to wait for her?" Annabeth asked.

"No. We get presents from her, but we get these ones out of the way before she comes." said Summer.

"I can't wait!" Annabeth said.

"Neither can I!" said George.

"We're going to have to. I'm going to read "Calvin & Hobbes" while we wait." Molly said, grabbing a "Calvin & Hobbes" book.

"Can I read with you?" Summer asked.

"Sure." said Molly. And so they sat together, reading "Calvin & Hobbes".

Annabeth had her "Gravity Falls" Cinestory Comics to look at, so she was kept preoccupied.

"So what are we going to do?" George asked.

"We could check up on the laundry." Max said.

"I guess we could." George said.

"We've gotta do something to keep from being tempted by those presents." Max said.

"I'm already too tempted." George said.

"No, you're not." Max said.

"How can you be so sure?" George asked.

"You would be too tempted if you were sitting by the tree and refusing to move. But you're not. Which is why we're going to work until Mom and Dad are ready." Max said.

"Good point." George said.

So they checked on the laundry while Dudley and Kitty finished washing the dishes.

"I've gotta stuff the turkey and put it in the oven!" Dudley remembered.

"I'll preheat the oven for you." Kitty said, doing so.

"Thanks, Kitty." Dudley said as he got the turkey out of the fridge and stuffed it. By the time he was done, the oven was preheated. He smothered the turkey with butter before putting it in the oven.

"Okay, now we can open presents!" Dudley grinned.

"While watching Quacky's show? He's airing a Christmas special today!" Kitty said.

"Yeah, that's right! "Quacky The Duck" is on!" Dudley remembered.

The kids already had the T.V. on, and Quacky was doing his show. When a commercial break came on, the kids ran to get the stockings, and they helped Dudley and Kitty sort through the presents Santa put under the tree. After the got the presents sorted, Quacky's show came back on.

When the show ended, they went right to opening presents, and it made everyone really happy to see what Santa brought. He pretty much brought them the things they didn't see but hoped to last night. And the stocking stuffers were all very nice, too.

After they opened all the presents, Dudley went to go get a trash bag for the wrapping paper, and by the time they'd cleaned up the sea of wrapping paper, Max saw Peg's car pull up outside.

"Grandma's here!" Max shouted.

"You guys go out there and meet her! I've gotta baste the turkey!" Dudley said.

The kids ran out to meet Peg, and she was glad to see them.

"How are my grandkids enjoying Christmas so far?" Peg asked.

"I love it!" Annabeth said.

"It's awesome, as usual." Molly smiled.

"Need some help, Grandma?" Summer asked.

"Yes, and I'd appreciate it." Peg said.

"We're on it!" George said, and the kids took the presents out of the car and brought them up to the house. Kitty opened the door, and the kids were grateful to her for that as they walked in and set the presents under the tree.

"Thanks, Kitty. You're a sweet girl. I'm glad Dudley found love with you." Peg said.

"Thanks." Kitty replied.

Then Dudley came out of the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom!" he greeted his mother.

"Dudley! How's my baby?!" Peg asked as she gave him a hug.

"Perfectly fine." Dudley said as he returned the hug.

"Is everyone ready to open presents?" Peg asked.

"YES!" the kids cheered.

"Okay, let's decide the order, and get to work!" Dudley said.

The kids all went first, then Dudley and Kitty went next. Peg didn't mind going last; she liked seeing how happy her gifts made everyone else.

After all those presents had been opened, no one had to pick up the paper because Dudley didn't throw out the bag from earlier. But now he could, so he did. And after that, he went to go baste the turkey.

"I'll find something to watch." Kitty said, picking up the T.V. remote and searching for something good. To her happiness, one channel was about to air "White Christmas".

"Let's watch that!" Peg said.

"Good idea." Kitty smiled, turning it to that channel.

When Dudley returned, he was pleased to discover that "White Christmas" was on.

"All right! This is a good movie!" Dudley said as he sat down on the couch, next to his wife. George, Molly, Summer, Max, and Annabeth watched the movie attentively.

"Is this a good movie?" Annabeth asked her siblings in a whisper.

"I wouldn't know. I never saw it." Max replied.

"We've seen it, and it's good. Trust us." Summer said, and George and Molly nodded in agreement.

Dudley would get up and baste the turkey every time a commercial break came on. Kitty got up to set the table during the first commercial break, and Annabeth followed, wanting to help.

When the movie was over, the turkey was ready, so Kitty turned up the oven temperature so she could heat up the stuffing that didn't go in the turkey, and she also had to cook the crescent rolls. Peg also got up to help make the mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables.

Dudley was busy carving the turkey, and Kitty and Peg were getting the foods that were ready on the table.

Once the food was ready, Dudley called the kids to the table, and it was time for dinner.

"Wow! Another awesome feast, and look! None of the food is gruel!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"The day we serve gruel in this house is a cold day in You-Know-Where." Dudley said as he helped himself to some turkey.

"And that day will never come." Kitty said as she began to fill her plate.

Everyone else filled their plates, and they began to eat. They ate until they were full.

"I don't think I can eat another bite." Max said. He was full.

"I know how you feel." Molly said.

"You'll be okay once you've digested. Then you'll have room for pie." Peg said.

"Yay! Pie!" the kids cheered, but then they stopped because they were full. They went to the den and played video games as they digested.

Sure enough, once everyone had time to digest, they had room for pie, and Kitty gave everyone a slice.

After they finished dessert, no one really knew what to do next. Then Kitty had an idea. She fished out her keyboard and started playing Christmas songs.

"If you know the words to any of these songs, don't be afraid to sing along." Kitty said as she began.

Kitty played every Christmas song she knew, finishing up with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". Everyone knew that song, and they all sang along.

When she finished, the lights were on outside.

"It's time for me to head on home." Peg said.

"It's already nighttime?!" Annabeth asked. It couldn't be dark out already. But it was.

"Christmas is just about over." Max said with a sigh.

"Not yet. Christmas ends at midnight." Peg said.

"We know." George said.

"My first real Christmas, and it ended way too quickly." Annabeth said.

"But you enjoyed every minute of it, didn't you?" Molly asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Annabeth thought about it for a moment, then smiled as she said, "It was the best Christmas ever!"

"There ya go!" said Summer.

"Mine was happier than I thought. I finally got to celebrate with TWO parents, instead of just one." Max grinned.

"Good to see that you all enjoyed the season." Kitty smiled.

"Now can someone help me put my presents in my car?" Peg asked.

"We're on it!" the kids said, each picking up presents.

"Okay, let's go." Peg said.

And the kids helped her load up her car. Before she left, she gave them all a hug and said, "I'll be seeing you again on New Year's Eve."

"Looking forward to it!" Summer said.

Then Peg got into her car and drove home.

With nothing more to do, the kids went back inside, and they and their parents watched some Christmas movie on T.V. until 10:00.

"Alright, time to hit the hay." Dudley said as he shut off the T.V.

"Aw man!" the kids groaned. They really didn't want to call it a night, but they knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. Christmas was over.

Still, as they got into bed, they had to admit that it was a good Christmas. Each Christmas always seemed better than the last.

And we heard them exclaiming with all of their might, "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

The End

Okay, that's the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed the rewrite, and that you have a merry Christmas, like our favorite family had!


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